Clarinet



March 3, 1966 A. BRODZKY 3,238,833

CLARINET Filed Aug. 14, 1964 T FIG.|

INVENTOR.

F I G 4 ARTHUR BRODZKY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,238,833 Patented Mar. 8, 1966 3,238,833 CLARINET Arthur Brodzky, 1315 S. B St., San Mateo, Calif. 94402 Filed Aug. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 389,747 Claims. (Cl. 84-382) The present invention relates to improvements in a clarinet and more particularly to a clarinet that is constructed in accordance with the Boehm system.

In the playing of the throat note B flat, considerable difficulty is experienced because of the complicated fingering that is required to produce a true note. Basically, to produce a true B flat tone on a Boehm system clarinet, it is necessary to open the B fiat hole as well as the A natural hole. This requirement leads to certain difficulties as the fingering to accomplish thus, even with a skilled player, is diflicult, particularly when sixteenth notes are involved. Certain suggestions have heretofore been made to overcome the difficult fingering required, for example, the system such as is disclosed in the Rosario Mazzeo Patent No. 2,867,146 as well as the Leon Leblanc Patent No. 1,926,489. However, in each of these prior art systems with which I am familiar, it is necessary either to provide an additional hole in the clarinet or to perform difficult double fingering in order to provide the B flat note. It is, therefore, basically desirable to utilize a single finger to produce the B fiat note, and it is accordingly the principal object of my invention to reduce the ditficulty of playing the note B fiat by providing a single key for the playing of this note.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a control mechanism which can be readily added to a standard Boehm system clarinet without the necessity of drilling any additional note holes.

A more specific object of my invention is the addition of certain operating parts to provide an opening of two note holes simultaneously by depressing a single key without affecting the standard operation of any other notes normally provided on the Boehm system clarinet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single note for a Boehm system clarinet which will obviate the necessity for the right hand to leave its normal position to play the B flat note.

With the above noted and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of in improved Boehm system clarinet embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan schematic of the upper portion of the clarinet to which my invention is applied, the layout view being drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the new linkage;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 44 of FIG. 1 with certain parts eliminated for clarity; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view effectively taken at the position of lines 55 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, there is illustrated the upper section of a Boehm system clarinet with my improvements added thereto, the clarinet being generally considered a B flat instrument. Generally designated is the upper joint which has affixed thereto a lower joint shown in phantom as at 11 and a bell mouth generally designated 12 also shown in phantom. Basically, the upper joint contains the usual open note holes 14, 16 and 18 which are manipulated by the first finger, second and third fingers, respectively, of the left hand. Additionally, a thumb hole 20 (see FIG. 2) is provided along with the adjacently located register key 21 which operates the register pad 22. As is common in this type of clarinet, the A key 24 adjacent the note hole 14 is provided. This key 24 operates the A natural note pad 25, which normally closes its associated note hole 26 (see FIG. 5). Additionally, the socalled B flat hole which is covered by a pad 27 is provided and is operated by the usual trill key 29 through arm 28.

With applicants improved construction, a single B flat key 30 is attached to a shaft 31 that rocks between mounting posts 32 and 33 and is fastened to the shaft 31 in a position to be immediately adjacent the thumb note hole 20, as shown more particularly in FIG. 2. Inasmuch as the usual ring key 35 surrounds the note hole 20, which ring key is secured to shaft 36 that pivots between post 33 and 37, a bridging member 38 connects the shaft 31 to a secondary shaft 39 that pivots between post 37 and post 40. Basically, therefore, it will be seen that rotation of the shaft 31 will be transferred to the shaft 39 by the bridging member 38. Attached to the shaft 39 is a lifter arm 41 which has a fiat portion as at 42 (see FIG. 3) that extends underneath the arm 28 that connects with the B flat pad 27. With this arrangement, it will be seen that as the key 30 is pressed downwardly, it will rock the arm 41 so as to lift the pad 27 from normal engagement with the B flat tone hole.

Mounted immediately adjacent the arm 45 which controls the B throat note pad 46 is a rock shaft 48 which extends between a pair of pivot posts 49 and 50. Affixed to this rock shaft 48 is an overlying arm 51 which arches over the trill arms 28 and 45 and extends into contact with the arm 41 in a fashion whereby the B flat pad 27 may be lifted and simultaneously rock the arm 51. Also extending from the rock shaft 48 is a second arm 53. The arm 53 has an undercut portion with a flat thereon as at 54 (see FIG. 4) which engages one end of a rocker lift arm 55 that is pivoted on a trunnion 56, which trunnion engages posts 57, 57. The other end of the rocker arm 55 is provided with a ledge 58 (see FIG. 5) which engages the underside of a lip 59 and is affixed to the A key pad 25.

With this construction as above described, it will be apparent that none of the usual operations or fingering techniques that are used in a Boehm system clarinet have been altered and there has been added a new means for providing a true B fiat throat note. Playing technique is simplified as the broad thumb is used to provide the new note, it being readily apparent that merely depressing the key 30 will rock the arm 41, lifting the B fiat pad 27, simultaneously rocking the connecting linkage to lift the A pad 25.

I claim:

1. In a clarinet constructed in accordance with the Boehm system, a B flat throat tone key being mounted adjacent the thumb note hole left hand and having means associated therewith to simultaneously lift the B flat note pad and A note covering pads.

2. In a clarinet as in claim 1 wherein a one-way actuating connection is formed between the B flat note pad and the A note pad whereby each note pad may be operated independently of the other.

3. In a clarinet having a Boehm system construction, a normally closed B flat tone hole in the lower register, a normally closed A tone hole in the lower register, an extension lip attached to the A pad, a broken linkage cou pled to an operating key and having one-way engagement with the B flat pad operating arm to open the tone hole, and a further linkage having one-way engagement with said first linkage to couple with said extension lip, whereby operating said first linkage will raise the B flat and A tone hole pads.

4. In a clarinet as in claim 3 wherein the said operating key is mounted adjacent the left-hand thumb note hole and is connected to a first rock shaft, said first rock shaft being coupled to said broken linkage.

3 4 5. In a clarinet constructed in accordance with the References Cited by the Examiner Boehm system, having tone holes including first, second and third finger holes left hand, a B flat tone hole, an A UNITED STATES PATENTS tone hole, a B fiat lever and pad movable between open 1,926,489 9/1933 Leblanc 84*382 and closed position, means normally biasing said B fiat 5 2674148 4/1954 Chnstensen 84 382 pad to closed position, an A lever and pad movable be- 2,832,250 4/1958 Leblanc 84a382 tween open and closed positions, means normally biasing 3,035,473 5/1962 MaZZeO 84 382 said A pad to closed position, a thumb note hole left hand, 3079828 3/1963 Leblanc 82 a key pivotally mounted adjacent the thumb note hole 31150553 9/1964 Mazzeo 84382 and having means associated therewith to simultaneously 1O lift the B flat note pad and A note covering pad LEO SMILOW Primary Examiner 

5. IN A CLARINET CONSTRUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BOEHM SYSTEM, HAVING TONE HOLES INCLUDING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD FINGER HOLES LEFT HAND, A B FLAT TONE HOLES, AN A TONE HOLE, A B FLAT LEVER AND PAD MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITION, MEANS NORMALLY BIASING SAID B FLAT PAD TO CLOSED POSITION, AN A LEVER AND PAD MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, MEANS NORMALLY BIASING SAID A PAD TO CLOSED POSITION, A THUMB NOTE HOLE LEFT HAND, A KEY PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT THE THUMB NOTE HOLE AND HAVING MEANS ASSOCIATED THEREWITH TO SIMULTANEOUSLY LIFT THE B FLAT NOTE PAD AND NOTE COVERING PAD. 